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Faculty of Graduate Studies

Kousar Malekinasab

  • Dr. Jianping Pan, Department of Computer Science, University of Victoria (Supervisor)

  • Dr. Sudhakar Ganti, Department of Computer Science, UVic (Member)

Notice of the Final Oral Examination for the Degree of Master of Science

Topic

Characterizing and Optimizing Real-Time Communication over Low Earth Orbit Satellite Networks: A Starlink Measurement and Design Study

Department of Computer Science

Date & location

  • Wednesday, August 12, 2026

  • 10:00 A.M.

  • Virtual Defence

Reviewers

Supervisory Committee

  • Dr. Jianping Pan, Department of Computer Science, University of Victoria (Supervisor)

  • Dr. Sudhakar Ganti, Department of Computer Science, UVic (Member) 

External Examiner

  • Dr. Navneet Popli, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Victoria

Chair of Oral Examination

  • Dr. Mario Bras, Department of Mechanical Engineering, UVic

     

Abstract

Real-Time Communication (RTC) services such as Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams are primarily designed around terrestrial Internet assumptions. Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite networks, such as Starlink, introduce a fundamentally different access model in which traffic traverses a satellite segment before exiting through a terrestrial Point of Presence (PoP). Consequently, RTC performance depends heavily on Starlink PoP associations, satellite-network dynamics, and provider-side service-point selection policies. This thesis characterizes and optimizes RTC over Starlink. First, it presents a measurement study of major RTC platforms using stationary and in-flight experiments. The results reveal divergent service-point selection behaviors: Google Meet generally tracks Starlink PoPs, Microsoft Teams typically employs a rigid session-anchored strategy, and Zoom utilizes regional hubs. Second, through a geo-distributed glass-to-glass delay analysis, this thesis demonstrates that while the Starlink access segment provides relatively low and stable delay, terrestrial post-PoP routing frequently dominates the application-visible latency when traffic is anchored to distant service points. These findings establish that existing RTC systems are not consistently LEO- or peer-aware. Motivated by these observations, this thesis proposes LeoRTC, a LEO-aware multi-relay framework that dynamically selects relay PoPs and leverages space-based paths to minimize end-to-end media latency. Trace-driven simulations and emulations confirm that LeoRTC substantially reduces one-way latency while maintaining low jitter and negliible packet loss. Overall, this work demonstrates that joint consideration of satellite access and post-PoP routing is essential for designing next-generation RTC systems.

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